Refrigerator apparatus



o. M. ANDERSON 2,181,858 REFRIGERATOR APPARATUS- Filed Dec. 15, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l 3 rw OSCAR MA DEQSON 1939- O. M. ANDERSON 2,181,358

REFRIGERATOR APPARATUS Filed Dec. 15, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 wu c/wkw OSCAR MANDERSON WWW Patented Dec. 5, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATOR APPARATUS Application December 15,. 1936, Serial No. 115,969

4 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerators and, more particularly, to a hydrator within a refrigerator cabinet arranged to maintain vegetables and other produce in afresh, moist condition, and has for its principal object the provision of an easily removable hydrator pan or container which is so supported that cold air is not directed onto the produce therein but is free to circulate about the container.

It is another object of this invention to provide a shelf within a refrigerator having a plate removably secured thereto forming a part of the -shelf and which is adapted to removably support a vegetable container therebeneath.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a refrigerator shelf containing a combined supporting plate and cover for a pan or container and which may be readily removed from the shelf for cleaning without removing the shelf from the refrigerator.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in they features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawings illustrating one embodiment of the present invention:

Figure 1 shows a fragmentary portion of a refrigerator cabinet having my invention mounted therein;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a refrigerator shelf supporting my hydrator;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the hydrator; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing the means whereby the supporting plate of my hydrator may be assembled with a shelf.

In accordance with my invention, I have provided a hydrator for a-refrigerator cabinet l0 and which, in general, comprises a container or pan P slidably mounted on the under side of a supporting plate H which is removably mounted .within a shelf l2 and serves the dual purpose of a part of the shelf and a support and cover for the pan P.-

Shelf l2, as herein illustrated, has a metal frame ll formed from a bar bent to rectangular shape and having substantially parallel spaced front and rear members l5 and I6 and substantially parallel spaced end members l1 and IS. The front and rear members are interconnected by spaced cross bars l9 to provide a supporting shelf which will not materially interfere with the circulation of cold air in the food compartment. The end members [1 and I8 are suitably supported within cabinet l0 upon projecting lugs or studs 20 mounted in the opposite side walls of the cabinet. Each of these studs preferably has 5 enlarged heads 20' at their opposite ends interconnected by a reduced neck portion 20", and these reduced neck portions receive frame members l1 and I8 and support the shelf so that it will not normally move into contact with the side walls of the cabinet. A pair of spaced parallel crossbars 2| are respectively secured at their opposite ends in any suitable manner, as by soldering or welding, to intermediate portions of frame members l5 and I6 so that plate ll may be received within the rectangular aperture formed by members l5, l6, and bars 2|. It will be understood, of course, that bars 2! may be located wherever desired, or only one bar 2 I: may be used and plate ll may be supported between this bar and the end of the frame Without departing from the scope of the present invention. Plate H which serves as a removable part of shelf I2 has a flat top face 22 located substantially in the plane of the top of the shelf. The 25 sides of the plate are bent downwardly and inwardly providing side forces 23 terminating in opposed inturned flanges 24 adapted to slidably receive the top peripheral flange 25 of pan P so that the tray may be slid into and out of posi- 30 tion beneath the shelf. A handle H may be provided on the pan to conveniently 'slide the pan into and out of position. The forward and rearward ends of top face 22 are preferably downturned, as at 21, to add rigidity to the plate. The plate is removably supported between bars 2| by lugs or studs 30 secured in spaced relation to the opposite sides of the plate as by screws 3|.

vIn the present instance, a pair of the studs 30 are mounted in opposed relation near each end 40 of the plate. These studs may be similar in form to the shelf supporting studs 20 and terminate at their ends in enlarged heads 32 interconnected by a neck portion 33. The forward set of studs have their neck portions respectively received within depending loops 34 formed in the forward ends of bars 2i. The rearward pair of studs are supported in corresponding relation beneath bars 2| by correspondingly located offset brackets 35. Each of these brackets is formed froma bar bent to shape having two spaced arms 36 and 31 interconnected by an offset portion 38. Arms 36 are respectively secured beneath bars 2l,'as by welding or soldering, thus locating arms 31 in spaced relation beneath the respective bars so that they slidably engage and support neck portions 33.

It will thus be appreciated that the rearward set of studs located near member l6 are slidably mounted on arms 31, and the forward set of studs 30 are normally received within the depending U-shaped seating portions 36, thus preventing slidable movement of plate l1 and locating it substantially centrally of and in spaced relation between bars l5, I6, and 2| so that the top face 22 forms a continuation of the shelf and pan P is free to be slidably located under the shelf or withdrawn therefrom without causing movement of the plate. When it is desired to remove the plate for cleaning, it is simply necessary to remove pan P, after which the forward portion of the plate may be tilted upwardly, lifting studs 30 out of their seats 34, and the plate may thereafter be slid forward, disengaging the rearward studs from arms 37. A twisting movement of the plate will now put it in a position where it may be lifted from the shelf and easily removed for cleaning without disturbing the shelf or articles supported thereon.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a refrigerator, a metal shelf composed of a pair of spaced longitudinal members interconnected by spaced parallel cross members, a plate located between a pair of said cross members and having depending side faces, inturned supporting flanges on said side faces slidably enpair of said cross members, a pair of studs laterally protruding from each side of the cover,

depending U-shaped portions on the said pair of cross members respectively and detachably receiving two of said studs, brackets secured to the under sides of the cross members slidably receiving said other studs, and means on said cover slidably supporting a pan therebeneath.

3. In a metal refrigerator shelf having a pair of spaced longitudinal bars interconnected by cross members, a hydrator cover between two of said cross members and forming a part of said shelf, depending side walls on the cover, a pair of studs laterally and respectively projecting in opposed relation from said side walls adjacent the front of the cover, said two cross members being provided with seating portions adapted to receive said studs, a second pair ofstuds laterally and respectively projecting from the opposite sides of the cover adjacent its rearward end, a pair of brackets respectively mounted on said two cross members beneath their rearward ends and slidably receiving said pair of .rearwardly disposed studs, and inturned flanges at the bottoms of said side walls adapted to slidably support a hydrator pan therebeneath.

4. In a refrigerator, a shelf having cross members connected with longitudinal frame members, a hydrator cover positioned between a pair of cross members and having depending sides slidably supporting a hydrator pan therebeneath, supporting means laterally protruding from said depending sides of the plate, and depending means carried by said cross members and adapted to removably engage said supporting means in position to align said cover with the plane of the shelf.

OSCAR M. ANDERSON. 

